HELP! Grounding during lightning storm

[Five O'Clock]

Hello again,

I was out sunday in Boston harbor with my father cruising around. Before we knew it a storm rolled in and started thundering and lightning. Soon enough, we were almost back at port when the lightning cracked right near us.

I had 1 hand on the steering wheel, 1 hand on the throttle, my father had 2 hands on the windshield metal helping me navigate, and as the lightning cracked, we both got pretty good shocks due to the lightning strike. The lightning did not hit the boat, but it must have somewhere on the water around us.

Does this mean that my boat is not properly grounded? I feel that there is no way we should feel anything coming through the boat, even though there is some metal in the water through the sterndrive. My mother was on the boat as well, not touching anything but the vinyl seat cushion, and did not feel anything.

I need some help. Thanks.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: HELP! Grounding during lightning storm

static electricity in the air from the strike.

 

[tommays]

Re: HELP! Grounding during lightning storm

Well

On sailboats there is a bonding system the connects the mast(which is what allways gets hit) and other metal parts to the lead keel with some pretty BIG wire


In reality a big strike offen blows a hole right through the bottom of the boat were the mast sits because there is more engery than it can pass safely even with the bonding system


On power boats most of the bonding wire is there to prevent galvinic reactions that would dammage underwater metal parts

http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/docs/d000001-d000100/d000007/d000007.html

 

[MrBigStuff]

Re: HELP! Grounding during lightning storm

People are killed all the time while well grounded during a lightning strike. It does not have to be a direct hit or even in close proximity. If you consider the enormous voltage potential you can see that even if you had a grasp on the best grounding rod available, the potential across your body to that ground can be enough to kill you under the right circumstances.

 

[Five O'Clock]

Re: HELP! Grounding during lightning storm

but shouldn't there be a grounding system already on the boat that prevents it from coming up through the throttle and steering wheel, or even the metal frame on the windshield so all the electrical doesn't get blown..

no electrical was damaged that i know of, everything is working fine, but still

 

[erikgreen]

Re: HELP! Grounding during lightning storm

Short answer:

Even though your boat is "grounded" you're not safe on the water if lightning strikes in most boats.

Most of the folks I boat with will go out in rain, wind, and waves, but lightning means "get the heck off the water".

It doesn't sound like there's anything wrong with your boat, but check your bonding system.

And watch the weather.

Erik

 

[metriccrescentwrench]

Re: HELP! Grounding during lightning storm

static electricity in the air from the strike.

Put another way, the metal parts of your boat acted as an "antenna" and picked up voltage from the nearby lightning strike. Im an electrical engineer, have been in ham radio for years, and have studied how to protect equipment from lightning strikes. There's really no good, cost effective way to safeguard occupants in a small boat from lightning. To put it bluntly, there's no way in he!! I'd be out on the water if there's a thunderstorm within 15 or 20 miles.

 

[steve201]

Re: HELP! Grounding during lightning storm

as stated ...lightning is a very dangerous and unpredictable energy source ...to attempt to predict where it will go is impossible...it the arc struck the water ..chances are you felt it coming up thru the leg/shift cable/throttle and across you to the steeing wheel......if the arc limb was attracted to your antenna..then it would have blown out your radio...
I work at boeing on the new plastic 787 in the electromagnetic's group...we're doing everything possible to handle the lightning threat on this airplane....
your boat is similar to the airplane in as much as it's fiberglass..with no shielding nor grounding going on......
therefore anything in the air or on the water has a potential to drop that energy right onto your boat one way or another...the best advice is to get out of the boat and into a safe building asap...........
your extremely lucky you didn't get electrocuted and/or killed....but that's just my theory and that of the scientists i work with.......

Steve201

 

[Five O'Clock]

Re: HELP! Grounding during lightning storm

thanks everyone... by all means, i would not go out on the water if I knew there was going to be a thunderstorm or lightning in the area. the forecast and marine weather on the VHF radio cited no storms in the area... but we got caught out there, and there was nothing I could do... just wanted to see if I it ever happened again, which I do not plan on it ever, if there was anything I could do to prevent any injury/death/damage to the boat..

thanks to all. this is a safety concern and I appreciate everybody's prompt response. if there is anything else you all can think of, i would be happy to hear it, i'm sure as well as many other iboat's members.